The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-01
A MISSIONARY PEAR.
BY HARRIETTE REA.

ed; but it was the very queen OF pears-a
Bartlett, color light yellow, slightly
tinged with red, large size, weighing
nearly eight ounces, smooth as a babys
cheek, and tapering gracefully at the top
into a stout stem of twice the usual
thickness. 1t was exhibited at the agri'
cultural fair, standing alone upon plate,
the perfection of its kind.
81 am going to send this pear to your
wife, Colonel" said its owner, on the
morning of the second day of the exhlbl-
ton. "Tell her it has taken premium
and. besides, is the finest specimen that
ever had the pleasure OF raising"
Cor seeing, either" replied the Colo
mel. my wife will appreciate the honor,
I assure you"
So home it went with him to dinner;
and Mrs. Colonel thought she could not
admire it enough, and, instead OF giving
it a place with the other fruit, brought
out a china dish and embroidered dolly
for its reception.
"But we must never eat it ourselves,
she said. "Such pear as this ought to
have a mission. What do you say to
my sending it to old Mr.. Swallow" Or
course, the Colonel assented.
A few streets farther on Mr.. Swallow
was found, sitting by the window OF his
farm house. On one side was the sunny
orchard; on the other the barn that the
old gentleman, now cripple, liked to
keep in view. The Coloneps little daugh-
ter brought in the pear.
"Your mother was very kind to send
me such a present." he said, putting 1t
down upon the window sill before him.
cit beats any that ever saw raised"
"But won't eat il" he added to him.
self, after the child had left. 1T was
mighty kind thing to spare one so nice,
and I'll do the same by somebody else.
There's Jimmy's school teacher. She's
another kind one, and she shall have it,"
When Jimmy ran home at recess, he
was greatly delighted by his grand
fathers commission to take the pear care
fully in box to Miss Brown.
Miss Brown placed it upon her table, and
allowed the whole school to look at and
admire without handling. Into the exer-
cises of the afternoon she introduced an
object lesson upon fruit, and, after school
was dismissed, she sat down to decide
upon what should be done with her gift.
couldn't have the heart to cut such
a wonderful pear. How kind in old Mr..
Swallow to send it to me! There's Mary
Burch, just getting over fever. How
pleased she'd be to have it'll" And so
again the pear found another resting
place.
at won't ask to eat it, mother, if you'll
Just let me hold it and smell it. Oh,what
a beauty"
Mary's eyes sparkled; and she took,
fguratively speaking, long stride to-
ward health from the vision of green
fields and shady roadside brought to her
by its mellow fragrance.
"Now, mother, who shall have it? for
wouldn't eat such beauty, if 1 could.
Perhaps Mr.. Jules will paint it. Let me
send it to him."
Mr.. Jules's studio was a pleasant place;
but its owner was little too fond of be-
ing engrossed by that fascinating easel,
and little too forgetful of other peoples
comfort. An invisible influence, from the
pear before him, began to make helpful
suggestions.
Every kind in that sick young lady
I'll sketch and paint it for her. I'll do it
at once, before it grows dark; and I'll not
eat such present, either"
About eight o'clock that evening the
minister, who had entered into an argu-
ment with the artist the day before and
had been left little wounded and sore
in feeling. was surprised and pleased by
the present of an uncommonly fine pear.
$50 kind in Brother Jules to take such
a pleasant way of assuring me that he
wasn't offended, and such magnificent
specimenl If Catharine agrees, we'll pass
it along tomorrow for somebody else to
enjoy. How much comfort there is in
kindness
One might begin to wonder by this
time, how the pear escaped bruises; but
each owner had held it so carefully and
admiringly that not pressure was to be
seen upon its surface.
In doctors office, the next morning,
a young man sat reading, when tap at
the door, and the minister entered.
81 was just going by, and thought I'd
step in a minute, and show you what
New England could do in the way of
raising pears"
Halt an hour later, and the young doc
tor stood alone with the fruit in his hand.
"Well, I'll hire seat in his church be-
fore next Sunday,-see if don't. won't
neglect it any longer. didn't know be-
fore that ministers could be so friendly.
Now what shall 1 do with this beauty? 1t
has helped me enough already.S) me
body else must have it, to be sure"
Now, Mre. Colonel B, its first owner,
was blessed with excellent health. To
use her own words she was "never sick"
But this particular morning she awoke
with a headache. The pain became so